Battery terminal



H. E. RUTHERFORD BATTERY TERMINAL Feb. 14, 1950 Filed Dec. 26, 1945 W WM Patented Feb. 14, 1950 HerbertEZ-Ruther-ford, Littlet Falls, assignor to InternationalilingineeringAssociates, Pater-'- son, :N. v.1 acorporationl t New Jersey Application'December 26, 194 5, Serial-N0. 6375111 3 Claims.

This .1 invention. relates ito a" battery terminal audit is primarily an object of the invention-to provide a device ofthisk-indof a character which permits efiective connectionof the terminal with botlr-the cable and thebattery post without the use-of solder .or other extraneous media for obtaining the desired .aeonn'ections.

A further: .ob'jectlof th'e invention: is to provide a device of this kind wherein the effective mountingisof the. terminalxona postand the desired securement of a cable to the terminal is accomplished and maintained 'u'nder the action of a single partmounted on thebody of thetermi-nal.

A still further object of the-invention is to provide a device of this kind including a terminal body so constructed toenable the' terminal to be held to a post and a cable secured to the body :under the action of a single nut threading on the body of the terminal.

An additional object of. theinvention'is to provide a battery terminal of a. kind thateanybe readily installed or removedwithoutqany parlticularv skill-or training and without the use of tools.

The invention also has for an object to provide a battery terminal which will-'not freezefrom corrosion and which is unaffected when coming into contact with the acid'or' mineral salts of the battery and also whereinis avoided shorts: or sud- V den shocks when contactedbyforeign metal such as a tool in the hand of a mechanic.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved battery terminal whereby certain important advantages are attained, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a battery terminal constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 7

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken axially through the device as illustrated in Figure 1, an associated cable being shown in fragment and in elevation;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the terminal end of the cable;

Figure 4 is a view in elevation of the expanding member or wedge unapplied; and I Figure 5 is a fragmentary section substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

In the embodiment of the invention as illustrated in thexaccompanying drawing, A denotes an inner lsolidmember ofymetal or other material conductive of electricity and which is continued at one end. by a thimble shell or skirt I. Disposediover and encasing themember .A andshell or skirtll is an outer jacket-thimble or shell ,3, of a non-corrosive and nonconductive material, said thimble shell or skirtl and jacket/thimble B beingflushat their innernor open ends.

The portion 2 of the jacket thimbleshellB surrounding the thimble shell I is provided with surrounding external-threads 3. The portion 2 of the shell B and the shell I are provided with diametrically opposed slots- 4 and 41:, respectively of desiredwidth. The shell:.l and-the portion 2 of shellB are tapered from the inner ends'of the slots 4 and 4'sto havea gradually increasing diameter to theopen ends-thereof. the shells A and 3 possesses sufllcient inherent resilience to, allow the open end portion of the The material .of

shells A and B; to contract upon the proper appli cation of pressure, but said inherent resiliency -tends to constantly expand the tapered portions of the. shells. to their full diameter when such pressure is relieved. Threading on the portion] of .the' jacke .thim-bleshell B is a hand nut N of anon-corrosive and non-conductlve'material, the. threaded vbore!) of which being tapered substantially the same as the normal expanded taper of the portion 2 of the shell B. The shell I is adapted to fit over the post of a battery and as the nut N is turned to move outwardly toward the open end of the shell B, the portion 2 and shell I will be contracted and the shell I thus be brought into close clamping engagement with the battery post to provide effective securement of the terminal to the battery post.

The body A across its inner face is provided with a deep straight slot 6 which leads into a bore 6', of circular cross section and with the extremities of which communicate the slots 4 and 4'. At

one end the bore 6' is formed to provide a tapered or outwardly expanding part I with its larger end outermost or immediately adjacent to the shell B which overlies and closes said tapered outer end I of the bore.

The body of the shell B at the inner end portion of the slot 4 remote from or opposed to the taper I is provided with an opening I of a diameter in excess of the diameter of the bore or passage 6'.

The bare extremity of a cable C is inserted through the opening 1' and is forced through the bore 6'. Before insertion, said end of the drawal. g

It is also to be pointed out that as the nut N is turned to clamp the terminal to a battery post, the resultant contraction of the shells l and B, will also contract-the slot 6 and the parts 6, i and I to effect clamping engagement ther assure an effective securement of the cabl C to the terminal.

From the foregoing description it'is believed apparent that the terminal as herein embodied can readily be applied or removed. by an unskilled person as it is only necessary to properly turn the hand'nut N without the use of a tool.

and operated.

I claim:

1. A battery terminal comprising a shell open at one end and fitting over a battery post, the

'open end portion of the shell being outwardly flared, said flared portionhaving slots extending" therealong to permit said portion to be contracted, a member surrounding said flared portion and movable therealong to contract said portion, the shell at the inner'ends of the slots being provided with a transverse bore communieating withsaid s10ts,'one end of the bore being closed, said bore being adapted to receive from its other end an extremity of a current conducting cable, the bore at the closed outer end being of gradually increasing diameter for a portion of its length, and means for expanding the end of the cable entering the said portion of the bore from the'said open end thereof.

-2. A battery cable terminal adapted to engage a battery post, comprising a thimble she'll formed to receive the battery post, the shell hav ing opposite longitudinal slots from the open end thereof opening at their inner ends into a bore formed transversely across the closed end of the thimble shell, the bore opening through a slot into the interior of the thimble shell, a jacket thimble of insulation material encasing the-thimble shell and having slots corresponding to and matching the slots of the thimble shell,

one of the slots of the jacket thimble opening :at its inner end into an opening aligning with an end of the cable receiving bore, the jacket thimble at the opposite end of the bore covering suchend of the bore, and means encircling the slotted portions of the thimble and jacket 9 thimble for effecting the contraction of such porof the terminal with the cable C and thus iurtions into gripping relation with an inserted battery terminal post.

3. A battery cable terminal of the character stated in claim 2, wherein said thimble and jacketthimble are tapered from the innerends of the slots to the open ends of the thimbles to have a gradually increasing diameter to the open ends, said jacket thimble being exteriorly screw threaded through the tapered portion, and the said means for contracting-the thimbles comprising a nut encircling and in threaded connection with the threaded portion of the jacket thimble. v HERBERT E. RUTHERFORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

